New year, new season, new ED song, same combat butler funny… but no Hinagiku.

EDIT: Added a video below of the new ED sequence with IKU’s Ki no Me Kaze.

Some changes were made in the OP sequence (though the weak song from the KOTOKO shell remains). Mostly animation towards the end was changed, showing Himegami’s face and showing off the main cast of the series. I liked the changes that were made. Less focus on all the Bulter wars and whatnot and more on the cast. If you think about it Hayate no Gotoku’s cast isn’t that large compared to other stories, so giving them more focus in the OP was a nice change. Double kudos for the additional Maria shot.

I request more Saki. Where do I mail the comment card?

For comparison, here is some of the corresponding shots from the OP in episode 39. Be gone silhouettes and giant reptiles!

Episode 40 also brought a new ED song and sequence. Quite the change in songs compared to MELL, Kawada Mami, and Utatsuki Kaori. Was I the only person expecting Shimamiya Eiko to do the 4th ED song? IKU’s Ki no Me Kaze is actually pretty good (at least from what I heard), especially with the sequence that was put together for what will probably be Hayate no Gotoku’s final stretch. Similar to the changes in the OP sequence, it was nice to see the main cast getting more attention. The music paired with the animation made this ending much more sentimental and touching than any of the previous three. Considering that the previous ED sequence was entirely Nagi-centric, seeing everyone else again was a great move. The season changes was also pretty nice.

As for the actual episode, the first half covered chapter 12 from the manga, with Hayate and Nagi going to see the sunrise after New Years, while the second half covered stuff that I was unfamiliar with. Nonetheless, it’s more Sakuya. And more Sakuya is always a good thing… Sakuya and an onsen is even better. It’s nice to see Hayate no Gotoku coming back down to Earth slowly. Back during the summer season and early into the fall season, this series really felt like it was dragging its feet. Even though the story has been never been consistent and has never really been the focal point, it good that there is finally some consistency with the episodes. I’m all for the randomness, but many episodes in the late teens and early 20’s (and a couple in the early 30’s) felt more like crap filler than the usual Hayate nonsense. Really since the fall season, this series has remained entertaining in the way that it was entertaining when it first started airing. Hopefully this keeps up until the end.

Next episode is back to school, which of course means the triumphant return of what really matters regarding anything pertaining to Hayate no Gotoku. Hinagiku~

Cardiche meets KITT, complete with David Hasselhoff spoof.

“Michael your chest hair is getting on my panels.”

Nothing beats the original. Gary Coleman and The Hoff. Ah… my youth.

~Hanyan~

[Full size]

[Full size]